Churches across our diocese are being encouraged to use an online tool to help make our churches carbon-neutral, with the deadline for completions fast approaching.
The Energy Footprinting Tool on the Parish Returns system calculates the carbon emissions from the energy used by a church using information from energy bills, and closes on Wednesday, July 31.
The data collected from the tool will help churches understand their carbon footprint, and will enable parishes to be eligible for grants to help invest in the sustainable future of their church buildings, and kickstart net zero projects.
The easy-to-use online tool tells churches what their carbon footprint is, based on the energy used to heat and light buildings.
Jemima Parker, Diocesan Environment Officer, said: “This may feel like just another bit of form filling but the data gathered will be vital in helping us all play our part in fighting climate change.
“It is a simple way we can show we care about God’s creation and loving our neighbour.
“National Church of England funding from the Net Zero Carbon Programme is now available for parishes and some churches in the diocese have already benefited from this funding.
“Completing the Energy Footprinting Tool is a condition for unlocking this and forthcoming funding to invest in your church building in the coming years.”
To complete the tool, churches need to enter their energy figures from the year before.
Once they have entered all the data, churches will immediately receive a report and results including the church’s carbon footprint in CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent), and a simple assessment of the buildings’ efficiency in graphical form.
All that is needed to complete the tool is a church’s utility bills for the year before, and an estimate of the floor area of the church and other buildings covered, which the tool may already have.
Churches will also need a sensible estimate of the number of person-hours that the church is used throughout the year.
The system is open until Thursday, July 31, and can be found on the online Parish Returns system.
Please click here to find out more, and to be linked to the EFT.